Tokyo Times

Photographs from a small group of islands

Technology Stuff

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To see a world in the grip of a cell phone

With everything that phones now offer, especially those of the smarter variety, it’s increasingly difficult not to constantly check, let alone use them; the likes of the internet and social media offering a whole other world to immerse oneself in — a call that countless millions, myself included, simply can’t resist.

And yet despite the incredibly common sight of seeing someone miles away on their mobile, this man’s obvious concentration, and his complete and utter obliviousness to the world going on around him, is absolutely fascinating. Although clearly nowhere near as fascinating as whatever it is that’s on his phone.

Tokyo phone user

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The earthquake and its aftermath followed in digital form

From the moment the earthquake struck on March 11, smart phones, along with their intellectually challenged cousins, have been worth their weight in gold — probably even more really. Yes, the networks may have faltered initially, rendering calls and SMS redundant, but email, along with access to the web and the likes of Twitter, allowed immediate contact with friends and loved ones, plus updates about what had, and was, happening.

Now, almost two weeks later, they are still invaluable, allowing easy access wherever you are, and whatever you are doing, to news, social media sites and the ongoing problems at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.

The only downside being that, wherever you are, and whatever you are doing, they allow easy access to news, social media sites and the ongoing problems at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.

Japanese mobile phone user

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A touchscreen vending machine in Tokyo

Touchscreen phones and tablets are all well and good, but none of them can hold a torch to this mammoth, ahem, iCatching vending machine.

Japanese touchscreen vending machine

And even if it can’t be used to play Angry Birds or tap out a tweet, the dispensing of beverages, although admittedly adding a bit of bulk, could be just what’s needed to make the next iPad truly ‘magical’.

Japanese touchscreen vending machine

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A phone farewell

After finally receiving my new iPhone, it’s a fond farewell to its trusty, but at the same time far from fast, forerunner. A once cutting edge piece of kit that only had a life-span as long as this ladybird that for some reason really rather liked it.

Japanese iPhone

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Old Tokyo tech

The constant touting of Tokyo as some kind of high-tech heaven isn’t technically true, as for every state-of-the-art toilet with a heated seat and hoses galore, there’s another that’s outdated and undoubtedly dirty. But that said, it does seem that even back in the day, technology here was still tiny,

Japanese old technology

and technicolour.

Japanese old technology